Lubricator



(No Model.)

s4. REID. LUBRIGATOR.

` Patted Feb.26,1884.

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Nrrnn 'STATES PT'l-:NT rricn@ SAMUEL REID, Oi? CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LUBRICATOR.

PECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 294,151, dated February26, 1884. Application filed June 15, 1882. (No model.)

I0 a/ZZ wzom t may con/cern,.-

Beit known that I, SAMUEL REID, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain,residing in Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Lubricators, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in lubricators in which a column orother pressure of water is employed to overcome the pressure of steamagainst the flow of oil, which lubricators are provided with a glasstube, more commonly termed a sight-feed, so that by the eye the amountof oil being fed may be determined.

Prior to my invention a glass dome mounted upon the oil-reservoir,` andhaving air normally contained therein at atmospheric pressure, afterwardcompressed in the upper part thereof without the addition of other air,and compressed entirely by the flow of oil, has been employed inalubricator, which oil is displaced by supply-water from a boilerarranged in a 'plane below the oil -reservoirg and it should here bestated that by the addition of other or an excess of air,77 as hereinused, is meant airinV excess of that normally in the sight-feed andartificially forced therein. In the particular. lubricator described theflow of water to displace theoil is caused entirely by thesteam-pressure in the boiler and not by hydrostatic pressure; hence sucha lubricator is only adapted to feed oil to a steam-cylinder or otherdevice in which the steam-pressure is below that of the boiler, andcannot be suecessfully employed where the opposing pressures of theboiler vand the device fed are equal, or where the pressure of thelatter is in excess. Furthermore, the glass dome is subject to fractureby the pressure against the end thereof in the center oi' the base ofthe dome. j A more serious objection, however, is the liability of theoil to rise in the dome to the nozzleopening, thereby destroying thefunctions of the dome, which liability it is subject to,

`,owing to the limited quantity of air in the dome, which cannot beincreased, and is constantly diminished by being carried off by theoilglobules in their passage therethrough, and owing to thenozzleprojecting a considerable distance downwardly in the dome, to a pointbeyond which the air will be compressed if the steam in .the boiler isabove a minimum operative pressure, or there is not a materialdifference between the steam-pressure in the boiler and that in thedevice to which the oil is intended to be fed.-

The oil-suppl y of lubricators as now employed is subject to opposingand equal pressure of steam, and it is therefore of vital importancethat means should be provided for' overcoming this equilibrium,` so thatthe oil will flow to the desired destination, and such means usuallyconsist of a head of water generally derived from condensation, andsubject to a pressure of steam directed toward the destination of theoil; but in the device above referred to no means to this end areprovided, and hence such lubricators are not and never have been apractical success. Lubricators in which the oil is subject to equal andopposing pressures of steam have had sight-feeds arranged above, below,and at one side of the reservoir, and iilled with steam or water,through which the oil displaced from thereservoir passes to thesteam-pipe of the engine to be lubricated, and these lubricators haveinvariably been constructed to utilize the greater specific gravity ofwater to displace the oil in the reservoir, and a water column operatingagainst the outwardpressure of the steam from the steam-pipe to anextent sufficient to permit the oil to flow freely forward to itsdestination.

The employment of steam in sight-feeds is objectionable, for the reasonthat not only its misty appearance in and globular condensation upon theglass seriously obstruct the view to the passing oil, but that it causesa varying temperature, resulting eventually in breaking the glass,which, of course, renders the lubrieator useless, at least for the timebeing. To a limited extent water avoids these objections-that is to say,it does not of itself `impair the sight, nor is it a quick enoughconductor of heat and cold to subject the glass to sudden'changes oftemperature; but it does seriously retard the iow of the oil when the infact, this is the only ready means for cleanfeed is rapid, as isdemonstrated by the dil vision of the oil-globules into quite smallparticles, which, by every pulsation of the engine, are driven againstthe glass in their passage through the sight-feed, and the result isthat the glass becomes so discolored by the adhesion of resineus andoily substances that the sight is destroyed. Furthermore, in watersight-feeds it frequently happens that a mistake is made in not firstopening the proper valve-as, for instance, the valve in the passageleading from the steam-pipe to the sightfecd--the effect of which isthat any oil which may be in the passage next the steam-pipe is forcedby the steam into the sight-feed and caused to adhere to and discolorthe glass. The common method of cleaning water sightfeeds, whendiscolored, is to shut off the feed of oil, open a blow-olf valve to thesight-feed, and turn on the steam from the' steam-pipe, and,

ing such sight-feeds, but the result is that the glass is frequentlybroken by the sudden change in temperature, or by the heat of the steamand a cold outside draft upon the glass.

The objects of my invention are to avoid the objections above set forthby entirely dispensing with the use ot' steam or water in the sightfeedtube, and to substitute therefor air supplied to said tube in excess ofits normal capacity, and compressed therein by means other than by theflow of oil and pressure of steam, so that said air will have all thefunctions of steam or water without any of their defects; to provide alubricator with a novel form of valve and nozzle controlling the flow ofand directing the oil from the reservoir to the sight-feed, forfacilitating the removal of the nozzle when`its oil-passage isobstructed by foreign substances; and, finally, to provide a lubricatorwith a novel form of oil-passage leading from the sight-feed to thesteam-pipe, said passage being adapted to cause the oil therein to offeran opposing column, operating as a counter-balance, eifectuallypreventing the backward pressure of the steam from forcing back thecolumn of oil into or itself entering the sight-feed. attain theseobjects by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is asectional view ofa lubricator einbodying my invention, Fig.2, details, partly in section, ot' my combined valve and nozzle;v Fig.3, a detail sectional view on the line x x of Fig. 1, showing thewater-outlet from the condenser to the oil-reservoir, the. valve forregulating the same, and the arrangement of the water-regulating pipe inthe condenser relative to the steam-supply pipe; and Fig. 4, across-section on the line y y of Fig. 1, showing the relative positionsof the steam-inlet to thc steam-supply and water-regulating pipes inthecondenser, and the outlet for the watersupply pipe leading from thccondenser to the oil-reservoir.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the severalfigures of the drawings.

estati A represents a cylindrical oil-reservoir, constructed or"suitable material adapted to withstand the required pressure, andprovided with a stem, 1, tapped into the top of the reservoir, closed bya stopper, 2, and adapted for filling purposes, and to form a connectionbetween the reservoir and the sight-feed by means of the pipe or branch3. f

Entering one side and near the top of the reservoir is a stem, B,provided with independent passages 4 and 5, the passage 4 leading fromthe stem of a bulb-condenser, C, and forming a water-duct, in connectionwith the pipe 6, leading from the lower end of the stem of the condenserto near the bottom of the reservoir, for the purpose of supplying waterto the reservoir to displace and cause the oil to ow in its properchannel to the steam pipe, a valve, D, (sce Fig. 3,) being provided tocut off the water. Stem B is screw-threaded upon its outer end, for thepurpose of joining a short pipe, 7, by means of a collar, 8, andsuitable packing connecting the lubrieator with the steam-pipe of anengine, and for affording a chamber for a projecting oil-tube, 9,forming a continuation of the oil-passage 5, said passage extendingdownwardly and thence upwardly to the oil-tube,to adaptit for theoperation of a screw-threaded valve, C", regulating the supply of oiltothe oil-tube, but used more especially to shut off the steam until thevalve from the oil-reservoir is first opened preparatory to operatingthe lubricator, and to admit steam,when dcsirable,for blowing out theoilpassagc, said valve having a tight joint formed by a cap, 10, andpacking. ln the stem B, and opening into the joint 7, and hence into thesteam-pipes, are passages 11 and 12, (see Fig. 4,) the latter of whichis shown in ldotted lines in Fig. 1, from which passages extend .up intothe bulb of the condenser two tubes, 13 and 14, (see Fig. 3,) the tube14 opening in a plane below the tube 13, for the purpose of drawing offthe water,to prevent it from choking the tube 13 and stopping theoperation of the lubricator,as has been more fully described in a formerapplication. For clear-ness in the present description it may, however,be well to add that tube 14operates as a steam-supply tube to thecondenser until the water rises to its level, after which the water,owing to its gravity and the pressure ofthe steam from the' tube 13,descends to the steam-pipe,whence it is carried oii" by the current ofsteam to the engine, and by this means a permanent steam! chamber isformed in the condenser, the steam in which materially augments theforce of the column ot' water to displace the oil in the reservoir.

rlapped in the bottom of the reservoir is a stem, E, provided with ablow-off passage, 15, closed by a valve, F, for removing sediment or thewater from the reservoir preparatory to again iilling the reservoir withoil. Stem C is also provided with a vertical passage, 16, connected withthe passage 5 of the stem B by a tube, 17, said passage 16 having ICO Yspectively, and suitably jointed in their op- 27 has no connection-withthe oil-passage,

packing, to the upper end of the casting, in

, nozzle to extract the obstruction; but by the vnozzle aresimultaneously removable; hence a blow-off plug, G, and is connectedwith a l horizontal passage, 18, connected in turn with a verticalpassage, 19, opening into the glass tube H of the sight-feed. Passages18 and 19 are respectively a horizontal and vertical extension of thestem E, in the vertical portion of which extension is also formed thebarrel of an air-pump, I, provided witha piston, 20, and pumprod 21, andat its upper end with a check-valve, 22, opening intoa tube, 23, whichtube may extend, as shown, to a point above the end of the oil-nozzle,so as to prevent any possibility of incoming air throwing against theglass, oil, either in the bottom of the glass or passing from thenozzle. It may also be stated that the passages 18 and 19 may `con sistof several detached castings or tubes, re-

erative posit-ions, though, for economy, the construction shown ispreferable. The casting in which the passage. 3 is formed, when takenseparate from the stem 1, is of a T form, hollow, and screw-threaded onone end to receive a cap, 24.-, connecting it with and forming a tightjoint for the glass of the sight-feed, said glass being also jointed, ina similar manner, at its bottom, by a cap, 25, andthe usual which areformed the passage 19 and the pumpbarrel. The hollow T-casting is alsointernally screw-threaded at its upper end, to hold a plug, K,perforated to connect the passage 3 with the glass of the sight-feed,and externally screw-threaded for a cap, 26, serving to hold a packing,and form a tight joint between the plug and valve, said plug and thepassage 19 forming a supply-pipe between orin which the sight-feed isarranged.

Valve L is for shutting off and regulating the supply of oil from thereservoir, through the sight-feed, to the steam-pipe, 'and involvesnovel and important construction, in that it has formed, in continuationof it, the oil-nozzle M., provided with a horizontal passage, 27, (seeFigs. 1 and 2,) intersecting with a vertical passage, 28, and extendingdown into the glass H a sufficient distance to afford a full view of theoil passing from it through the glass to the steam-pipe, and in thisrespectthe nozzle is a necessity in all sight-feeds of this same generalconstruction. As shown in Fig. 1, the valve is closed; hence thehorizontal opening but it will be seen that if the valve be elevated thehorizontal passage will then connect the nozzle with the passage`3, andthe oil forced out of the reservoir will iiow through the h'orizontaland vertical passages, and thence drop through the. glass andintermediate passages to the passage 14.

It frequently occurs that the nozzle of a lubricator becomes stopped up,and in former constructions it is necessary that the plug and valveshall be removed before removing the construction above described thevalve and much time and labor are saved, and the removal ofthe nozzlecorrespondingly facilitated. Vhile my combined valve and nozzle isparticularly adapted for lubricators, it is obvious that it might beused in other devices without a departure from the invention embodiedtherei oil up into the passage 3. The air-pump is then brought intoaction and air is pumped into the glass tube in sufficient quantity tonearly, if not entirely, lill the same alter being compressed by thecolumn of oil and the opposing pressure of steam, both of whichpressures are dependent in force upon the height of the column of waterin the condenser and the pressure of steam in the steam-pipe. The valveL is then opened and next the valve C', the feed of oil being regulatedby the former, and the result is that if the passages 5, 17, 18, and 19are empty the air in them will be forced by the steam into the glass;but as the pressure of oil is greater than the pressure of steam, itwill also aid in displacing the air, and at the same time effectuallyprevent the steam from entering the glass. lf the pressure of air in theglass is in excess of the lcombined steam and oil, the air will expandin volume when the valve L is open, and fill the passages 1 and 3; butupon opening the valve C the air will be displaced from the passages 1and 3 and be forced into the passages 18 and 19, and perhaps 17, untilthe air is displaced from the nozzle and oil begins to iiow. Owing tothetendency of the air to rise, and the less degree of pressure of thesteam as compared with the oil, the excess in volume of air filling thepassages 17 and 18 will be forced into the steam-pipes; or, in otherwords, the volume of air, when the lubricator is in full operation,will'not extend beyond the glass and the passage 19. rlhe elasticity ofthe compressed air in the glass permits the air to expand and contract,and thereby establish an equilibrium at all times between two opposingpressures varying in force-as, for instance, such variation as mightoccur by a sudden increase or decrease in the height of the watercolumn, induced through rapid or slow condensation, or by any variationin the steam-pressure, or both, during the operation of the lubricator,for it will be understood if either one or both of these pressuresdecrease, the air will Vexpand in the glass, and, on the other hand, ifthey increase, the air will be compressed into smaller space. In view ofthis expansion and compressibility of the air in the sight-feed, it isobvious that if no air IOO IIO

were forced into the feed the compression of Yoil would rise in theglass tube and cover the mouth of the nozzle; or, in other words, it isnecessary to keep the glass free of oil, that sufficient compressed airto establish equilibrium shall partly fill the glass below the nozzle.

It should be stated that as the oil-globules passing through the glasstube are constantly absorbing and carrying off particles of air, and asthere is also a liability of leakage in the joint of the tube, theimportance and necessity of the supply of an excess ot'lair tothe tubeare obvious for a completely successful employment of air in such asight-feed. Vhen such absorption and leakage occur to a sufficientdegree, a small portion ofthe lower end ofthe glass is Jdlled with oil,but this oil may be displaced by a few strokes of the pump forcing insufficient air to that end. An air column in the sightfced does notretard the iiow of the oil as does water, neither does it obscure thesight as steam, but, on the contrary, keeps theglass ofthe feed dry, andhas a tendency to keep it clean, and by the provision made and describedit is impossible for the oil to entirely fill the glass, for the steamto enter the same, or for either to simultaneously vary the temperatureof the glass.

The air-pump shown is a convenient means for introducing an excess ofair to the sightfeed; but it is obvious that the air might be suppliedfrom any other source-from the airchamber of the pump of the engine, orby a tube of considerable length connected with the steam-pipe, when thesteam might be utilized for compressing the air in the tube and forcingit into the glass of the feed.

In conclusion it should be stated that the oil being fed may bedetermined by the dropping or flow of water instead of oil through theair in the sight-tube, to do which only mechanical skill is required tomake the necessary changes in the parts for this purpose-as, forinstance,

Vby conducting the condensations first through the vsightfeed and thenceto the oil-reservoir,

`or by locating a sight-tube containing air at any point in the pathofthe water flowing from the condenser to the oil-reservoir, from which'there should of course be an oil-outlet to the device to be lubricated;but while the substitution of a flow of water for oil in the tube isclearly within the scope of my invention, and

an obvious equivalent thereof, I consider it of inferior merit.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

l. A. sight-feed the glass of which contains an excess of air underpressure, substantially as described.

2. A sight-feed lubricator containing an eX- cess of air under pressure,in combination with devices, substantially as described, for supplyingair to and compressing the same in the sight-feed, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination, with a lubricator, of a si glit-feed tube arrangedat a point between the oilreser voir and an oil-passage to a steam-pipe,said feed containing air under pressure, substantially as described.

4. In a lubricator, the combination, with a sight-feed and with theoutlet oil-passage to the steam-pipe, of-an intermediate oil-passageadapted to contain an opposing column of oil for preventing the steamfrom entering the sight-feed, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a sight-feed and with the direct outlet of theoil to the steampipe, of a horizontal passage, I8, and a verticalpassage, 17, connecting said outlet and sight-feed, substantially asdescribed.

6. A combined valve and nozzle, the nozzle of which is provided with'perforations interseeting and extending at a right angle to each other,substantially as described.

'7. In a lubricator, the combinati0n,with the oil-reservoir, the passagel 3, the plug K, and its bushing, ofthe combined and removable valve andnozzle and a sight-feed, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the sight-feed and with the projectingoil-nozzle, of an air-supply tube extending up into the sight-feed andabove the opening ofthe nozzle, substantially as described.

9. In lubricators, the hereindescribed meth- 0d of feeding oil,whichconsists in passing oil through a-glass tube filled with an excess ofair under pressure.

10. In a lubrieator, a means for determining the amount or quantity ofoil orother liquid being injected or fed, consisting of a sight-feedarranged in asupply-pipc, and a valve for limiting 0r regulating thepassage of the liquid therethrough, substantially as described.

SAMUEL REID.

Vitnesses:

JNO. G. ELLIOTT, VILLIAM G. VniTiNG.

IOO

